Health & Medicine
Marriage And The Heart: Heart Surgery Recovery Better In Couples
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Oct 28, 2015 05:31 PM EDT
Can marriage heal a broken heart?
New findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) suggest that people who had never-married were at a 40 percent greater risk of dying or developing a disability following cardiac surgery when compared to counterparts who had even been divorced, widowed or separated.
During the study, researchers gathered data on more than 1,500 men and women at the University of Michigan Health and Retirement study--which has been ongoing since 1998. During this time, the participants were required to answer questions about disabilities, health and family structures every two years. Following surgery, they evaluated how well patients could function based on performance of daily acitivites that included dressing, eating and taking showers without help. 65 percent of the participants--all adults 50 and over--were married, 12 percent were divorced or separated and 12 percent were widowed, while 2 percent had never been married.
Furthermore, the researchers found that 19 percent of the people who were married had either died or developed a new disability during two years after the surgery. Meanwhyile, 29 percent of those who were divorced or separated, and 34 percent of those who were widowed had either died or developed a new disability during two years after the surgery. Lastly, 20 percent of those who had never been married either died or developed a new disability during two following surgery.
It's not clear at this time why married individuals have a greater chance of survival following cardiac surgery. However, reseachers speculate that it may have something to do with the additional support and care they receive.
Researchers also cautioned that the study found an association and not a cause-and-effect relationship.
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TagsHealth, Human, Marriage, heart, Healthy, Cardiovascular, Cardiac, Widow, Divorce, Separation, Together, Disability ©2024 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.
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First Posted: Oct 28, 2015 05:31 PM EDT
Can marriage heal a broken heart?
New findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) suggest that people who had never-married were at a 40 percent greater risk of dying or developing a disability following cardiac surgery when compared to counterparts who had even been divorced, widowed or separated.
During the study, researchers gathered data on more than 1,500 men and women at the University of Michigan Health and Retirement study--which has been ongoing since 1998. During this time, the participants were required to answer questions about disabilities, health and family structures every two years. Following surgery, they evaluated how well patients could function based on performance of daily acitivites that included dressing, eating and taking showers without help. 65 percent of the participants--all adults 50 and over--were married, 12 percent were divorced or separated and 12 percent were widowed, while 2 percent had never been married.
Furthermore, the researchers found that 19 percent of the people who were married had either died or developed a new disability during two years after the surgery. Meanwhyile, 29 percent of those who were divorced or separated, and 34 percent of those who were widowed had either died or developed a new disability during two years after the surgery. Lastly, 20 percent of those who had never been married either died or developed a new disability during two following surgery.
It's not clear at this time why married individuals have a greater chance of survival following cardiac surgery. However, reseachers speculate that it may have something to do with the additional support and care they receive.
Researchers also cautioned that the study found an association and not a cause-and-effect relationship.
Related Articles
What Makes a Marriage Last? A Happy Wife, According To Research
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone